A Box Full Of Memories
by Mesalline
Summary: Ianto finds a small box belonging to Jack, filled with his most treasured memories. One Shot.


Ianto wished he'd never found that box. It had hurt him too much. And, frankly, some of what he had seen was just too damned mind boggling to contemplate. He'd mulled it over all day. It had made him miserable, and not just because what he'd done was wrong. It was something else.

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"Jack?"

Ianto poked his head round the door of his boss's office and found it empty.

Ianto glanced over to Jacks private quarters. The man-hole was firmly closed. The place was completely deserted. Ianto should have turned and walked away there and then- but he didn't.

He crept quietly over to Jacks desk. He didn't really know why he was doing this- what right did he have? But Jack had kept so many things from them, from him. He didn't even know if his real name was "Jack Harkness."

Gwen had looked him up, and found that "Jack Harkness" had gone missing in the 1940's. It couldn't be the same Jack…could it?

Ianto sat down in Jacks chair and quietly eased open the top drawer. He rummaged around, flicking through files of catalogued alien devices that Jack had forgotten to give to him to be archived. Ianto didn't really know what he was looking for.

The drawer was big- huge in fact. Ianto frowned. How could Jack fit so much in such a tiny draw?

Something winked at him as Ianto shoved a file to one side. Gold. He pushed aside some more papers and pens until his fingers touched something cold and smooth. He pulled it out and placed it carefully on the desk.

It was a box- Mahogany, he guessed, with a picture of a Rose engraved in the wood. A faded blue line ran right around the edges of the small box. A gold clasp held the lid in place.

Ianto opened the box, lifting up the clasp gently. He was surprised to find it was lined with blue silk. A faded envelope lay neatly on one side, and a key on a long chain sat on top of it. Next to the envelope sat a mound of what looked to Ianto like dirt or dust. Why Jack kept a pile of dust in a box was beyond him.

He pulled out the envelope, being careful not to knock over the neat pile of dust.

_"Order from Chaos,"_ he thought.

He held the key in his hands. It felt pleasantly warm. He sat there for a few minutes just starring at the key in wonder. A smile crept onto his lips. He didn't know why, but the key made him feel…Happy.

Ianto set the key down on the table and opened the aged envelope. Written on the front of the envelope was an almost illegible scrawl, "_The Good Times._"

A stack of photographs fell out onto the desk. Most of them consisted of three people. Jack, A blonde girl, and a bald man with over large ears dressed all in black. A few other people made random appearances, another older looking blonde woman, and a coloured man.

He paused at one. Jack was stood, grinning from ear to ear, with his arms draped over the shoulders of the blonde and the man, standing in front of a blue public call box. Ianto frowned. They didn't make them blue any more.

Ianto found himself grinning. It was obvious the group were happy, and even though it was just a photograph, the emotions seemed to run through him. Like when someone started yawning in the room, and then suddenly everyone in the vicinity was yawning too.

He laughed at the next one. The older blonde looked like she was whacking Jack over the head with a hand bag, who was cowering beside the police box. He flipped the photograph over.

"_Cardiff- 2001, 1__st__ June. _

_The Doctor allowed me to take Rose on a night out clubbing- for some reason he didn't want to join us. Jackie didn't seem to be all that pleased either-_

_Well if you 'ad'nt tried to make a pass at me in front o' me own mam-_

_Write on your own piece of paper Rose!_

_I'll write on whose ever paper I want-"_

The writing stopped abruptly. Ianto laughed and flicked through the rest until the pile thinned out and finally stopped. The last picture was of all five of them stood outside the police box, grinning as though they'd never been happier.

Jacks eyes were slightly un- focused and he seemed to be leaning on the blonde- what was her name? Rose, a little more than was necessary.

_Jack would always be Jack_, he thought, rolling his eyes as he put the photographs back in the envelope.

"Having fun?"

Ianto jumped and dropped the envelope, sending the photographs flying. He looked up slowly and recoiled at the dark anger flaring behind Jack's eyes.

"I'm Sorry- I didn't mean any-" Ianto stumbled over his words as he bent down to pick up the photographs.

"Get out."

Jacks voice was cool and calm, despite the obvious anger. If anything, the calmness of his voice made Ianto feel even more ashamed. He wished he'd just shout at him.

Ianto left the office, hastily avoiding Jacks accusing glare and retreated back to the reception area, leaving Jack alone with his box of treasured memories.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Jack hadn't said a word to Ianto since the incident. It was fairly obvious that Jack hadn't wanted anyone to know about that box. Mainly because Torchwoods most wanted featured in a fair few of those photographs. But also, Ianto suspected that box held the memories of perhaps the happiest time of Jacks life. Part of Ianto was jealous. He'd never been that happy. Well, he had with Lisa, but that was short lived. Another part of Ianto was guilty. Guilty that Jack hadn't been happy with them, and ashamed that Jack hadn't felt he could trust him enough to show him the photographs. At the moment, Ianto felt that he'd never be happy again.

It was strange what a box full of memories could do.


End file.
